gamine

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French gamine.

Noun

gamine (plural gamines)

  1. A (usually female) street urchin; a homeless girl.
  2. A mischievous, playful, elfish, pert girl or young woman.

Translations

Adjective

gamine (comparative more gamine, superlative most gamine)

  1. (of a girl) Having a boyish, mischievous charm; elfish, typically with short hair. [from 20th c.]
    • 1984, Anita Brookner, Hotel du Lac, Penguin, published 2016, page 54:
      In her navy linen trousers and her, perhaps too tight, white jersey, Jennifer was determinedly gamine.
    • 2017 May 25, Peter Bradshaw, “L'Amant Double review – camp-classic status beckons for François Ozon's softcore silliness”, in The Guardian:
      It’s a wildly dated-looking and derivative film, a quaint adventure in fantasised naughtiness, like Ozon’s teen prostitute fantasy Jeune et Jolie in 2013, which starred his lead actress here, Marine Vacth, in a similarly gamine role.

Translations

See also

Anagrams

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡa.min/
  • (file)

Noun

gamine f (plural gamines, masculine gamin)

  1. kid (child)

Further reading

Anagrams

Middle English

Verb

gamine

  1. (Early Middle English) Alternative form of gamen
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